Home Featured TV Shows All TV Shows Movie Reviews Book Reviews Articles Frequently Asked Questions About Us

Supernatural: Point of No Return

Sam: "There's another way."
Adam: "Great. What is it?"
Dean: "Well, we're working on the power of love."

I think I was expecting something a bit more... well, apocalyptic. Like Dean possessed by Michael, with possible rampagey consequences, or even the death of a major character or two. (I've been very worried about both Bobby and Castiel this season, because you can just feel the bad stuff coming – and the two of them are my favorite Supernatural supporting characters, ever.)

But it was still a terrific episode. Sam got to be the strong one this time while Dean was doing his best to commit suicide by angel. I loved how Sam hunted Dean down for a change, and had to lock him up in the demon panic room. The tables, they turn. What goes around comes around. It's about time.

And the way Dean tricked and took out Zachariah was so very satisfying and a long time coming. Kurt Fuller did a great job making us despise that character; I actually cheered when he bought it. It was great seeing Dean acting like himself again; let's hope he stays that way.

In fact, everyone got a turn at the good stuff. Bobby upset me, talking about how every morning he chooses not to kill himself because he promised Dean that he wouldn't. Castiel beat the crap out of Dean, and defeated seven angels all by himself; I tend to forget how powerful he is when he's making me laugh. What happened to Cas at the warehouse? He'd better be okay.

And bringing Adam back just worked. Those Winchester genes are rare and valuable, so of course the angels would resurrect him. He's as stubborn and implacable as your standard Winchester, and cares about family just as passionately – except for Adam, it's all about mom. Although that may have just changed. Will we see Adam again as a second-hand Michael, or will he be returned to his lonely, motherless heaven? I hope he's not gone forever.


(Let me add that I always thought that "Jump the Shark" was something of a cheat because we never got to meet the real Adam. Now we have, and I like him. Jake Abel even resembles Jensen Ackles enough to make it work. I might be stating the obvious, but casting a third Winchester brother was almost certainly going to be a losing proposition with the fans. Instead, like so many other things, the producers of this show did it right.)

Dean just said yes. Is it a permanent yes, or does Michael have to be in the room when it happens? If Michael shows up later, is Dean now contractually obligated to let him in? And (here's the big question) how are they going to resolve all of these open plotlines in... pause for a moment and check... only four more episodes?


Bits and pieces:

— The "green room" was in an abandoned muffler factory in Van Nuys, California. I absolutely loved that. Especially as a metaphor for the character of the angels.

— Castiel carved an angel bye-bye thingy (sigil?) on his own chest. Is Jimmy still in there feeling pain? Because if so, ouch.

— I wonder if the resurrection of Bobby's wife Karen was a bit of set-up for Adam, so that we wouldn't go, hey wait, angels can't resurrect someone who has been cremated.

— I'm still wondering if angels have an afterlife after they're "fired."

— When Adam was talking about his heavenly experience making out with a girl at the prom and Dean asked about third base, Sam told him to move on. Sam is such a prude.

— When Sam found him, Dean was in Mike's Travel Inn, room 100. This was the 100th episode, of course. "Mike's" was appropriate, too. Very funny.


Quotes:

Zachariah: "How long have I worked for these guys? Five millennia? Six?"
Great reference to the "official" age of the world calculated from events in Bible.

Castiel: "Maybe they wrongly assumed Dean would be brave enough to withstand them."
Dean: "Hey, you know what? Blow me, Cas."

Adam: "You pitched this whole dewy-eyed bromance thing, but the truth is I'm on lock-down, aren't I?"
And he's funny, too. Dewy-eyed bromance. With actual bro.

Zachariah: "You know that Sam and Dean Winchester are psychotically, irrationally, erotically codependent on each other, right?"
That couldn't have been an easy line to deliver. All those clashing syllables.

Zachariah: "They'd rather save each other's sweet bacon than save the planet."
Sweet bacon? After that "erotically codependent" line? Honestly, I hadn't realized Zachariah was into slash.

Dean: "I'm Dean Winchester. Do you know who I am?"
Holy roller: "Dear God!"
Dean: "I'll take that as a yes."

Dean: "Word to the wise. Don't piss off the nerd angels."

Castiel: "Where did you think it was?"
Dean: "I don't know. Jupiter? A blade of grass? Not Van Nuys."

Was this a four? If I have to ask, maybe it wasn't. But it was still terrific. What did you think? Post a comment!

Billie
---
Billie Doux adores Supernatural which is a good thing since apparently, it's eternal.

11 comments:

  1. I always enjoy your comments, Billie, I just want you to know that. Very pithy, and you always pull out the best lines. I loved this episode so much! (For all my comments, please see my review at www.moogi.com, go to SUPERNATURAL.)

    I felt sad watching Dean pack up his stuff, more nostalgic, I guess, than anything. But the Postal Service won't allow people to send guns! I worked there, I know! I loved how easily and quickly Sam found him, because Dean is always bragging how well "I know that kid," meaning Sam. The tables are turned!

    I already knew we weren't getting a comedy ep this time around, not for #100, but I was spoiled about Adam and furious about that. I know they used to leave big surprise guest stars' names for the END, so they remained surprises.

    Bobby's admission that the only reason he hasn't eaten a bullet was because he promised Dean (TCCODW), had me crying. Bobby was so gruff and angry! Later, Castiel's beating was also very angry, yet it seemed that only Sam's gentle, let-it-be approach worked on Dean and made him change his mind.

    Most fight scenes on SPN are too fast for me to see much of what goes on, but last week's with the Lutheran Militia was really cool, and the balletic, funny one in "Bad Day at Black Rock" was another really great one. I was just astounded to watch Cas whaling on Dean that way, punching him against brick walls with Dean not retaliating in any way! I want to know what karate school Cas has been attending that he became such an effective fighter all of a sudden?

    I wonder--did Dean plan from the beginning to insist on Zachariah's death in exchange for his taking on Michael's meat suit? I didn't see that coming! Here old Zack is counting on a big promotion, a corner office with cloud views, but Dean wants him eliminated! LMAO! Zack is sure Michael won't agree, but Dean presents it this way--me or you? Given what a bastard Zack is, I'm sure Michael would see it Dean's way. Even better, Dean chose to forgo Michael and just take out Zack! Ding, dong, the nasty angel is DEAD!

    However, Adam was left behind just as Michael was coming down. Does that mean HE is going to be the vessel? Will he even be able to contain Michael, given that he's the wrong vessel? This is the Winchester universe, and I suspect it's going to end badly for Adam, and sadly for Sam and Dean as they lose their half brother a second time.

    As for Castiel, with that incredibly brave, stupid sigil he carved into his handsome chest, we have no idea where he is, but he sent himself wherever he sent those enemy angels, and that might be someplace very terrible for Cas himself. Deadly terrible.

    Sam and Dean's final conversation in the Impala had me crying. Sam trusted Dean enough to bring him along to heaven's waiting room, delivering him right into the arms of the angels, to Zachariah, and despite Dean warning him of his mindset to say that yes, either to save Adam or because it's his plan, anyway. Sam had faith. Cas didn't. Bobby didn't, either. given that he'd told Sam he thought it a bad idea.

    SAM TRUSTED HIS BIG BROTHER, bottom line. Dean realized it was high time to trust his snot-nosed little brother. He apologized to Sam, even though Sam insisted it was unnecessary. It was VERY necessary, IMHO. Sam needed to hear it as much as Dean needed to say it. Now they are prepared to be a united front against heaven, hell and everything in-between that might screw with them.

    That ending was just SO satisfying for me!

    Sorry I got carried away! Love, Robin

    ReplyDelete
  2. Okay, I liked it, especially the ending with Dean winking and giving destiny the finger. I for one am fed up with his angsting. Really fed up. So yeah, the turn about attitude at the end was a plus for me. But then again, he's done the whole 'screw the world, we're gonna fight everyone' routine before, and that didn't stop him from angsting. Hopefully this time it'll stick.

    Plot hole! We've been told that the only thing that can kill an angel is another angel. It was actually the entire plot for an episode - remember? Angels are dying, who is doing it and how? Uriel was, because only angels can kill angels. Oh wait! Not anymore. A fancy dagger is all it takes now. *facepalm*

    I still maintain that their best shot by far is to track down Jesse the antichrist and ask him for help. He is the only person with enough power to potentially kick the angels collective asses. They've certainly shown a recent trend for bringing back old characters, haven't they?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Am I the only one who prefers dark, broody, serious Castiel to the funny version of him? (By funny I mean, unintentionally funny, as he's always dead serious).

    I'm torn about this episode --- on the one hand, I was like you Billie, expecting something apocolyptic-y, and we really didn't get that. On the other hand, I have no idea where they're going from here, so that's always a plus.

    @ Near --- wasn't the fancy dagger a plot point at some point in the last season?? I can't remember, it's been so long!! But I seem to recall that the fancy dagger was something that allowed anyone to kill an angel.

    Wasn't Supernatural renewed for another season? In that case, we have more than just a few episodes left.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just curious -- Billie, I love sci-fi and the other shows that are reviewed by you ... and based by how positive that you are about this show, I have started to watch season one. I love Dean and Sam characters, but I am a bit of a wimp and the shows scares me :) So, I have to ask ... does it stay scary?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, Michem:

    Yes, I'm afraid to say that it does stay scary. Supernatural is the only show I love that scares me, and I'm not into horror at all. But it also makes me laugh, a lot. There's a wry, dark humor to the story that's very engaging. It's an exceptional show and worth the scares, in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is a very well written, intriguing show ... but I just had nightmares last night after watching three episodes in a row. *sigh* Why is it that the one of the most beguiling show I have watched lately gives me nightmares? I think I will try a few more episodes, because you are right, there are some very funny moments (laughed so hard in Phantom Traveler when Dean described the flight attendant as the most well adjusted person in the whole world :-) … and there is something about the show that compels me to watch a couple more. Perhaps I will try one episode at a time, see if that helps (I know I am such a scaredy-cat!)
    Thank you for your input!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Michem:

    The first season is definitely the weakest. Starting with season two, it just gets good and stays good and even keeps getting better. If you can hang in through season one, "Scarecrow" is a really good episode, and "Faith" is one of the best episodes of the series. If those two don't hook you, feel free to give it up!

    Not that I advocate skipping episodes, but you could always read my review first and see if the scare/ick quotient is going to be too much for you, too. :) There are a few that I don't rewatch, usually one or two per season. For season one, I did not like "Bugs", and "The Benders" is pretty intense.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love this one. We get to see Adam again and we have lots of Sam and Dean conversations.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Adding to "Near Said's" comment - Dean not only was able to kill a high-ranking angel, but his eyes didn't burn out and bleed watching it and I don't think "hearing" Michael coming was affecting him much. Dean's got some supernatural genes in him as well as Sam.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful episode in a great season. Loved Sam and Cas together fighting to help Dean see the light. Liked the return of Adam. The green room scenes were spectacular. Dean saw his little brothers face still looking at him in hope, and so he had to save the day. Yes, angel blades being left behind so anyone can pick them up to kill an angel is kind of convenient, but that's ok. Season 5 is so great this far into it, and it only gets better.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That chewing out Bobby gave Dean was sorely needed (so was the later angelic ass-whuppin) When Dean said "You're not my father" OUCH that was cold! The look Sam gave immediately after said "What the hell, man?! Best part was Zachariah's death. Dean warned him back in s4e17 "Angel or not, I will stab you in the face" Fast forward one year, Zach gets shanked! As Harvey Dent said in the graphic novel Batman:The Long Halloween "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy" ;) I've been a longtime fan of your reviews,but never left a comment til now. See ya around the universe Billie.

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.